Cris Cyborg announces boxing return for April 27

As PFL struggles to book a featherweight showdown between company champion Larissa Pacheco and Bellator titleholder Cris Cyborg, the former UFC star continues her run in boxing.

Cyborg announced via press release that she is slated to face Widnelly Figueroa in the main event of Green Bay Fight Night in Green Bay, Wisc., on April 27. The 154-pound match will be contested in four two-minute rounds with 10oz gloves.

Cyborg is 2-0 as a professional boxer, having knocked out Kelsey Wickstrum in her most recent appearance in January. The Brazilian, who won a decision over fellow Bellator veteran Gabrielle Holloway in her debut, last fought in MMA in October 2023, knocking out Cat Zingano inside one round.

Figueroa is 0-2 as a professional and hasn’t fought since 2017, when she lost via first-round knockout to Olympic boxer Mikaela Mayer, who was making her transition to pro boxing at the time.

According to the release, Cyborg decided to take a boxing match “despite her desires for a return to MMA and a matchup against 2x PFL champion Larissa Pacheco,” adding she wasn’t given a date by the MMA promotion.

“I was hopeful to be fighting Pacheco in June which gave me limited dates to pursue a boxing fight,” Cyborg stated in the release. “Figueroa is a tough opponent who has been in the ring with boxing Olympians with a lot more experience than me. I have been training hard and am hoping to continue showing the improvements I am making in my boxing skills.

“I want to prove to the people in boxing that my KO power in MMA can translate into KO power with the bigger gloves. I’m working on my boxing techniques so that I am going to be able to deliver the type of fight ending finishes fans want to see. I’m looking to bring excitement to women’s boxing like I’ve done in WMMA.”